Custom homes in Whitby
A custom home starts with the lot, not the floor plan. The zoning envelope, the services at the street and any conservation or heritage overlay decide how much house the lot can carry, and Savino Construction reads all of it before a line is drawn. The Whitby brief is usually a second storey on a 1980s house, a rear addition behind a downtown heritage house, or a custom home on a lakefront lot.
Whitby, on the ground.
Whitby is a heritage downtown, a lakefront in Port Whitby, 1970s and 1980s subdivisions between them, and Brooklin's village core with new subdivisions around it. That stock is why most custom homes in Whitby start with a tear-down: the land has outlasted the house on it. Subdivision lots take a crane and a bin, and Lynde Creek and the waterfront put some lots inside a conservation authority's regulated area. The demolition, the excavation, the crane days and the material drops are planned around the neighbours before the first truck arrives, and the schedule is written into the contract.
Read more about building in Whitby or the full custom homes page.
On the drawing.
Zoning review of the lot before design starts, so the house you draw is one the city will approve
Engineered drawings and a photorealistic rendering of the finished house
Building permit application filed and followed by us, with any conservation or heritage review handled first
Demolition of the existing house where there is one, with the permit and disconnects it needs
Foundation, framing, envelope, roof, mechanical, electrical and finishes by our crew and our trades
A deficiency walk with the list closed before the last payment, and a written warranty at handover
Paper first.
A custom home needs a building permit with engineered drawings, a separate demolition permit where a house comes down first, and a Committee of Adjustment hearing if the design is outside the zoning envelope. The Town of Whitby issues the permit, and heritage designation downtown adds a review to exterior work.
- A building permit with engineered drawings is required in every GTA municipality.
- Where an existing house comes down first, a demolition permit and utility disconnects are separate applications.
- A design outside the zoning envelope goes to the Committee of Adjustment before the permit.
- Ravine, waterfront, moraine and escarpment lots add a conservation authority or commission review first.
- New homes sold in Ontario need a licensed builder and Tarion enrolment. [Kam confirms the HCRA licence and Tarion status.]
The paperwork wall: WSIB, insurance, licences, the HCRA status and the warranty, on one page and dated.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Floor area and storeys | The square footage above and below grade sets the structure, the envelope and the hours. |
| The lot | A serviced infill lot and a rural lot on a well and septic are different jobs before the house is drawn. |
| Approvals | Committee of Adjustment, conservation authority, heritage or escarpment review each add time before the permit. |
| Envelope and finishes | Brick versus stone, window count and size, roof form, and the interior finish level chosen from the catalogue. |
| Mechanical | Heating and cooling type, in-floor heat, a backup system on a rural lot. |
There is no price per square foot on this site. A number given before a site walk and a drawing is a guess, and a guess turns into a change order later.
The zoning by-law sets height, setbacks, lot coverage and floor area for the street. We run that check before design so the house you draw is one the Town of Whitby will approve.
Yes. The demolition permit, the disconnects and the tear-down are part of the same contract as the new house, so there is one schedule from start to keys.
Most can. The engineer confirms the foundation from a test pit, and the subdivision lots have the room for a crane.
Yes, with a heritage review of anything visible from the street if the house is designated. Additions usually go to the rear and follow the house's character.